Many of the questions related to the treatment of drug addiction originate from the confusion that still characterizes this issue, even though biology is irreversibly changing our outlook on the physiology and psychopathology of the mind. In fact, prejudices stemming from the archaic concept of mind-body dualism are so difficult to eradicate that even a skilled psychiatrist may find it hard to distinguish a psychiatric symptom from a socially transgressive behavior. The dilemma becomes even more salient for drug addiction, since many of the substances which induce abuse and dependence are illegal, and their production, trade and use are forbidden by law. If the use of heroin is connoted as a crime, it may become controversial to recognize its chronic sequelae as a disease. Hence, withdrawal symptoms may alternatively be attributed to drug effects, or labelled as immoral attitudes arising from a vicious personality. However, the physician's judgement, which has to be merely instrumental at improving the patient's quality of life, should never be influenced by such complex setting. In fact, the only concern of the physician must be that of ascertaining the causes of symptoms and of removing them: if symptoms are induced by the toxic effect of a drug, he has to use the most effective antidote, and then proceed towards a detoxification; if they are due to withdrawal, a substitutive substance should be given initially. In the case of narcotics, substitutive therapy on a maintenance basis may become mandatory.

Recognition of the relationship between alcohol abuse and adverse prenatal outcomes is reflected in the warning labels on every alcoholic beverage sold in the United States. Because alcohol abuse has serious consequences for both individuals and society as a whole, much research has been devoted to this problem. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome provides straightforward facts regarding the impact of alcohol consumption as it affects the development of the embryo and fetus. Surveying current research of fetal alcohol syndrome and its related problems, the book addresses the immediate effects on development at various stages. Long-term action of prenatal alcohol exposure later in life is also considered. A chapter devoted to assessing the behavior of children who were prenatally exposed to alcohol emphasizes the necessity of longitudinal studies of fetal alcohol syndrome. This important reference offers a thorough overview of a problem that cannot be ignored.

The lure of drugs and alcohol is capturing today's youth in its fatal grip and may ultimately destroy our nation's future generations. The vicious cycle of abuse is one that parents, teachers, counselors, and other citizens decry on a daily basis. Dr. Thomas Milhorn, an expert on adolescent drug abuse, provides crucial information on all the major drugs of abuse - including depressants, narcotics, stimulants, cannabinoids, inhalants, steroids, and hallucinogens - and their lethal consequences. Dr. Milhorn contends that in order to confront the monster that is destroying our children's health and quality of life, we must first understand the psyche of drug and alcohol abusers and the natural progression of the disease of addiction. This respected physician and physiologist reveals the harmful combinations currently in vogue in the drug world and the shortand long-term effects they have on the body, and discusses ways to recognize and pinpoint the telltale signs of a user. He explores the question of why adolescents abuse drugs, as well as special issues affecting young female addicts. This powerful book also examines the fatal relationship between drugs and AIDS, and includes a brief history of AIDS, and lifesaving advice on AIDS prevention. Dr. Milhorn skillfully assesses the various inpatient and outpatient treatment choices. He realistically portrays the intense physical and emotional stages the user will pass through before becoming drug free, as well as the stresses placed upon families during the recovery process. As this valuable book relates, both parents and teachers have clearly defined roles, and each can use his or her own brand of influence to aid the adolescent on the journey back to a healthy mind and body. Finally, Dr. Milhorn presents a list of successful options available if a first treatment attempt should fail. We live in a society wh ere 12-year-olds are budding alcoholics and children are bombarded in school hallways with solicitations to ex

The recent surge in the use of crack/cocaine in Britain has rightly been a cause for concern. In this book Philip Bean has brought together some of the most respected authorities on the subject to report on their recent research. Chapters include studies on the supply and use of crack/cocaine in London and Glasgow, on the projected epidemic in use, on treatment on the rights of users as well as placing the subject in its historical perspective.

From the 1950s 'girl junkie' to the 1990s 'crack mom', Using Women investigates how the cultural representations of women drug users have defined America's drug policies in this century. In analyzing the public's continued fear, horror and outrage wrought by the specter of women using drugs, Nancy Campbell demonstrates the importance that public opinion and popular culture have played in regulating women's lives. The book will chronicle the history of women and drug use, provide a critical policy analysis of the government's drug policies and offer recommendations for the direction our current drug policies should take. Using Women includes such chapters as 'Sex, Drugs and Race in the Age of Dope'; 'Regulating Adolescents in the Postwar US'; 'Fifties Femininity'; and 'Regulating Maternal Instinct'.

Why do so many people feel compelled to drink alcohol or take drugs? And why do so many men drink and so many women refrain? Using ideas from social anthropology, this book attempts to provide a novel answer to these questions. The introduction surveys both gender and addiction. It points out that we cannot say what men or women are really like, in any culturally innocent sense, for gender is always, even in the realm of biology, a cultural matter. The ethnographic chapters, ranging from Ancient Rome to modern Japan, similarly suggest how any substance - from alcohol to tea to heroin - inevitably takes its meaning or reality in the cultural system in which it exists.
This book will be of interest to medical anthropologists, medical sociologists, anyone with an interest in the contemporary direction of anthropology as well as those working in the fields of alcohol and addiction.

Why do so many people feel compelled to drink alcohol or take drugs? And why do so many men drink and so many women refrain? Using ideas from social anthropology, this book attempts to provide a novel answer to these questions. The introduction surveys both gender and addiction. It points out that we cannot say what men or women are really like, in any culturally innocent sense, for gender is always, even in the realm of biology, a cultural matter. The ethnographic chapters, ranging from Ancient Rome to modern Japan, similarly suggest how any substance - from alcohol to tea to heroin - inevitably takes its meaning or reality in the cultural system in which it exists.
This book will be of interest to medical anthropologists, medical sociologists, anyone with an interest in the contemporary direction of anthropology as well as those working in the fields of alcohol and addiction.

AIDS and drug addiction is a topic of great and growing concern. AIDS first appeared among intravenous drug users in Europe in 1984, three years after the first cases were seen among homosexuals. This epidemic has spread more rapidly among intravenous drug users than in any other risk group. The high rates of HIV-1 seroprevalence among drug users in France, Italy, and Spain account for 85% of the total number of AIDS in intravenous drug users in Europe. It is anticipated that HIV-infected drug users will soon place a heavy burden on both drug treatment facilities and specialized health care units. The HIV-1 epidemic will also cross the former iron curtain. This contribution covers the wide and complex scene of drug problems and addiction as a whole. It gives researchers an opportunity to obtain background information on the spread of HIV and AIDS among intravenous drug users as well as on the clinical and psychological effects of HIV-1 infection and AIDS in Europe. The topics reviewed include surveys of intravenous drug use, HIV prevalence, detoxification, risk reduction, changing health behaviors, evaluating AIDS interventions and the impact of methadone maintenance treatment. This monograph will be of value to all clinicians, researchers, and policy makers who are concerned with the connection between intravenous drug use and AIDS.

This work examines the social, political and health policy contexts within which alcohol treatment policy has emerged and changed since 1950. Three themes are highlighted as particularly relevant to an examination of policy trends:;The emergence and evolution of a 'policy community' spear-headed by psychiatrists in the 1960s but broadening to include other profession and the voluntary sector by the 1980s. This text traces professional changes and tensions and their effects on the formation and implementation of policy into the '90s.;The role of research which influenced the nature and direction of policy. Changing approaches to alcohol treatment reveal the increasing uses of research as the rationale for social and health policy decisions and illustrate the move towards a contractor relationship between research workers and policy makers.;The changing conceptions and competing paradigms of the problem tracing the effect of ideological shifts on the balance between treatment responses and prevention and public health approaches to complex social medical problems such as alcoholism.;Within these broad themes, the text portrays the pressures and tensions on government departments, the

This powerful study immerses the reader in the world of homelessness and drug addiction in the contemporary United States. For over a decade Philippe Bourgois and Jeff Schonberg followed a social network of two dozen heroin injectors and crack smokers on the streets of San Francisco, accompanying them as they scrambled to generate income through burglary, panhandling, recycling, and day labor. "Righteous Dopefiend" interweaves stunning black-and-white photographs with vivid dialogue, detailed field notes, and critical theoretical analysis. Its gripping narrative develops a cast of characters around the themes of violence, race relations, sexuality, family trauma, embodied suffering, social inequality, and power relations.The result is a dispassionate chronicle of survival, loss, caring, and hope rooted in the addicts' determination to hang on for one more day and one more 'fix' through a 'moral economy of sharing' that precariously balances mutual solidarity and interpersonal betrayal.

Contents:
Acknowledgments. Introduction. PART 1: DRUG TRAFFICKERS. 1: The Good Old Days: reciprocity and public service. 2: Going for Cover: trafficking as a sideline. 3: Things Get Nasty: enter the criminal diversifier. 4: Contested Streets: retailing into the 1990s. PART 2: ENFORCEMENT STRATEGIES 5: Policing Localities: street operations. 6: Inner City Drug Squads: surveillance and but operations. 7: Policing Localities: street operations. PART 3: KEY ISSUES IN DRUG ENFORCEMENT. 8: Informants and Stings: tradition and innovation in plainclothes work. 9: Intelligence Rules: the centralisation of British policing. 10: The Punishment Illusion: your money and your life?. Conclusion: A Little Knowledge. Appendix: Extracts form ACPO's `Broome Report'. Bibliography. Subject Index. Author Index.

Trauma represents a loss of connection with the self and can affect ability the to engage in comfortable long-term intimacy. Unresolved trauma often times is the reason why people self-medicate. It is a shutting down of affect, dissociation from the heat of a painful or terrifying moment, a repression of unbearable feelings. Relational trauma happens a little bit at a time. Feeling unseen, misunderstood, neglected or rejected by the people we want most to be loved by is, over time, a traumatizing experience. Our need to be seen is core to valuing ourselves, to experiencing us as vital people, important to those close to us and with the potential to find a meaningful place in the world. Sociometrics offers layers of healing, many small incremental moments of healing that cumulatively help to peel back the layers of the onion revealing ever deepening and widening aspects of both the self and the self in relation to others. Sociometrics is a therapeutic role-playing practice built upon the foundation of Psychodrama and Sociometry, the pioneering group therapy concepts developed by fin-de-siecle Viennese psychiatrist Jacob Levy Moreno. Psychodrama and Sociometry have been organically embraced in the addictions field as a method of treating this kind of relational trauma. Role-play in a therapeutic environment allows a full range of mind-body emotions and physical motions to be part of the treatment process. Words, rather than being used in some hapless attempt to describe an experience one can barely remember, can come bursting forward into the here and now towards the right person at the right place at the right time. But the open-ended nature of each can make it difficult to do with safety and containment. Sociometrics solve that problem by creating an experiential process that is both healing and educational. This practice also incorporate the most up-to-date research on trauma, grief and related issues such as depression, anxiety, somatic issues and PTSD. Sociometrics is designed to fit easily into the existing programming of an addiction treatment canter or group therapy. Because they bring trauma issues forward through the stricture of the Floor Check (a series of guided emotional prompts), they remove the necessity for a lecture only approach to healing. Each time a "symptom" is explored for example, there is time for sharing how that symptom might manifest for each client and to hear how that symptom might manifest for others. This creates many "teachable and healable" moments across the room as symptoms come alive through each individual. As clients share they normalize problems and regulate their string emotions through sharing and feeling "held" by others engaged in a similar process. Resilience is natural built as they stand in the center of their own story. Emotional literacy and relational skills are strengthened and feelings are translated into words and communicated to others.

The accompanying Participant's Workbook to the SSC is written to engage clients and encourage active participation in treatment and responsible living. Phase I: Challenge to Change: Building Knowledge and Skills for Responsible Living Phase II: Commitment to Change: Strengthening Skills for Self-Improvement, Change, and Responsible Living Phase III: Taking Ownership of Change: Lifestyle Balance and Healthy Living SAGE offers treatment and training programs for mental health providers that you can easily incorporate into your existing programs.

This new edition of Perfect Daughters, a pivotal book in the ACoA movement, identifies what differentiates the adult daughters of alcoholics from other women.

When this groundbreaking book first appeared over ten years ago, Dr. Ackerman identified behavior patterns shared by daughters of alcoholics. Adult daughters of alcoholics-"perfect daughters" -operate from a base of harsh and limiting views of themselves and the world. Having learned that they must function perfectly in order to avoid unpleasant situations, these women often assume responsibility for the failures of others. They are drawn to chemically dependent men and are more likely to become addicted themselves. More than just a text that identifies these behavior patterns, this book collects the thoughts, feelings and experiences of twelve hundred perfect daughters, offering readers an opportunity to explore their own life's dynamics and thereby heal and grow.

This edition contains updated information throughout the text, and completely new material, including chapters on eating disorders and abuse letters from perfect daughters in various stages of recovery, and helpful, affirming suggestions from Dr. Ackerman at the end of every chapter. This book is essential for every one who found validation, hope, courage and support in the pages of the original Perfect Daughters, as well as new readers and every therapist who confronts these issues.

Also includes: a comprehensive reference section and complete index.

To date, professionals who work with drug users have given greatest emphasis to counselling the users themselves, to the exclusion of others with whom they may be involved, in particular their families who themselves may be experiencing great amounts of distress. This book introduces the reader to the setting up and running of a drug support group and illustrates the underlying approach of providing mutual support for everyone involved. Using many practical examples, Paul Lockley takes the reader, step by step, through the establishment and life of a support group, and the work it entails. In the process of examining the life and work of the group, attention is given to aspects such as group attendance, development, difficulties and assessment.

Addiction to illicit drugs is a pressing social concern across greater China, where there are likely several million drug addicts at present. This research breaks new ground by examining Chinese people's stories of drug addiction. Chinese Stories of Drug Addiction systematically evaluates how drug addiction is represented and constructed in a series of contemporary life stories and filmic stories from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. These stories recount experiences leading up to and during drug addiction, as well as experiences during drug rehabilitation and recovery. Through analysis of these contemporary life stories and filmic stories, the book presents a comprehensive picture of how Chinese people from both inside the experience of drug addiction and outside of it make sense of a social practice that is deemed to be highly transgressive in Chinese culture. It employs a blended discourse analytic and narrative analytic approach to show how salient cultural, political and institutional discourses shape these Chinese stories and experiences. Complementing existing humanities research which documents the historical narrative of drug addiction in China at the expense of the contemporary narrative, the book also provides health and allied professionals with a rich insight into how Chinese people from different geographical locations and walks of life make sense of the experience of drug addiction. Moving beyond historical narrative to examine contemporary stories, Chinese Stories of Drug Addiction offers a valuable contribution to the fields of Chinese studies and personal health and wellbeing, as well as being of practical use to health professionals.

Drinking and drunkenness have become a focal point for political and media debates to contest notions of responsibility, discipline and risk; yet, at the same time, academic studies have highlighted the positive aspects of drinking in relation to sociability, belonging and identity. These issues are at the heart of this volume, which brings together the work of academics and researchers exploring social and cultural aspects of contemporary drinking practices. These drinking practices are enormously varied and are spatially and culturally defined. The contributions to the volume draw on research settings from across the UK and beyond to demonstrate both the complexity and diversity of drinking subjectivities and practices. Across these examples tensions relating to gender, social class, age and the life course are particularly prominent. Rather than align to now long-established moral discourses about what constitutes 'good' and 'bad' drinking, sociological approaches to alcohol foreground the vivid, lived, nature of alcohol consumption and the associated experiences of drunkenness and intoxication. In doing so, the volume illuminates the controversial yet important social and cultural roles played by drink for individuals and groups across a range of social contexts.

Although tobacco is a legal substance, many governments around the world have introduced legislation to restrict smoking and access to tobacco products. Smokefree critically examines these changes, from the increasing numbers of places being designated as 'smokefree' to changes in cigarette packaging and the portrayal of smoking in popular culture. Unlike existing texts, this book neither advances a public health agenda nor condemns the erosion of individual rights. Instead, Simone Dennis takes a classical anthropological approach to present the first agenda-free, full-length study of smoking. Observing and analysing smoking practices and environments, she investigates how the social, moral, political and legal atmosphere of 'smokefree' came into being and examines the ideas about smoke, air, the senses, space, and time which underlie it. Looking at the impact on public space and individuals, she reveals broader findings about the relationship between the state, agents, and what is seen to constitute 'the public'. Enriched with ethnographic vignettes from the author's ten years of fieldwork in Australia, Smokefree is a challenging, important book which demands to be read and discussed by anyone with an interest in anthropology, sociology, political science, human geography, and public health.

Substance use has become an increasingly common concern for all aspects of social work practice, and especially when working with mental health and vulnerable families. This requires all social workers to have sufficient education and training in alcohol and other drugs across a range of settings. This volume presents evidence from a number of major studies which examine the current state of social work education in relation to substance use. These contextual considerations are complemented by specific applied analyses which explore classroom, methodological, practice and theoretical considerations within both the UK and America. Substance Use in Social Work Education and Training provides a strong evidence base for the effectiveness of appropriately-targeted education and support given to social workers. It further substantiates calls for a greater inclusion of more on substance use in social work education and curricula. This book is based on a special issue of the journal Social Work Education.

Did Omar Little die of lead poisoning? Would a decriminalization strategy like the one in Hamsterdam end the War on Drugs? What will it take to save neglected kids like Wallace and Dukie? Tapping into 'The Wire' uses the acclaimed television series as a road map for exploring connections between inner-city poverty and drug-related violence. Past Baltimore City health commissioner Peter Beilenson teams up with former Baltimore Sun reporter Patrick A. McGuire to deliver a compelling, highly readable examination of urban policy and public health issues affecting cities across the nation. Each chapter recounts scenes from episodes of the HBO series, placing the characters' challenges into the broader context of public policy. A candid interview with the show's co-creator David Simon reveals that one of the intentions of the series is to expose gross failures of public institutions, including criminal justice, education, labor, the news media, and city government. Even if readers haven't seen the series, the book's detailed summaries of scenes and characters brings them up to speed and engages them in both the story and the issues. With a firm grasp on the hard truths of real-world problems, Tapping into 'The Wire' helps undo misconceptions and encourage a dialogue of understanding.

This is an excellent resource book for community counselors and alcohol and drug professionals who serve diverse populations, school counselors who are concerned about prevention, teachers who frequently are the front-line observers of changes in student behavior, and legislators who are committed to making a difference in the community. This text is written in concise and clear language with a chapter on definitions as well as numerous examples. --Gloria Dansby-Giles in Counseling Today No segment of American society has escaped the ravages of substance abuse. Situating his community development model within a multicultural framework, editor Jacob U. Gordon addresses the connection between integration and involvement in the provision of treatment. Managing Multiculturalism in Substance Abuse Services explores conceptual issues, definitions of terms, and historical developments of early intervention and treatment efforts in the field of alcohol and drug abuse. Contributors examine the history, demographics, drug-use patterns, customs, beliefs, and communication styles of the five major racial/cultural groups in America (African Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans, Native Americans, and Latinos) in relation to current substance abuse treatment, prevention, and intervention strategies. The works provide diverse applications of a multicultural approach throughout the continuum of alcohol and drug abuse services, addressing such critical issues as maintenance of drug-free schools, program evaluation, and the role of leadership. Finally, major recommendations for change in public policy and in the traditional planning and delivery of services are presented. "There are many stimulating and informative sections in Managing Multiculturalism in Substance Abuse Services and one of the great strengths of this work is the range of issues raised by the contributors. . . .This absorbing volume offers a valuable resource to practitioners, educators, law enforcement officers and policymakers." --Drugs: Education, Prevention, and Policy "This absorbing volume offers students and professionals in the fields of health sciences, drug and alcohol treatment, and ethnic studies a wealth of practical and theoretical information. Although written for American society concerning the effects of substance abuse upon the various ethnic groups in that country, this book is pertinent for other countries composed of groups representing multiple ethnicities and cultures.... This absorbing volume offers a valuable resource to practitioners, educators, law enforcement officers and policy makers." --Journals Oxford Ltd

At the beginning of the 21st century, alcoholism, transnational drug trafficking and drug addiction constitute major problems in various South Asian countries. The production, circulation and consumption of intoxicating substances created (and responded to) social upheavals in the region and had widespread economic, political and cultural repercussions on an international level. This book looks at the cultural, social, and economic history of intoxicants in South Asia, and analyses the role that alcohol and drugs have played in the region. The book explores the linkages between changing meanings of intoxicating substances, the making of and contestations over colonial and national regimes of regulation, economics, and practices and experiences of consumption. It shows the development of current meanings of intoxicants in South Asia - in terms of politics, cultural norms and identity formation - and the way in which the history of drugs and alcohol is enmeshed in the history of modern empires and nation states - even in a country in which a staunch teetotaller and active anti-drug crusader like Mohandas Gandhi is presented as the 'father of the nation'. Primarily a historical analysis, the book also includes perspectives from Modern Indology and Cultural Anthropology and situates developments in South Asia in wider imperial and global contexts. It is of interest to scholars working on the social and cultural history of alcohol and drugs, South Asian Studies and Global History.

Highly Commended, BMA Medical Book Awards 2014 This highly practical manual presents an ideal introduction to adolescent substance use. It offers invaluable guidance for all professionals involved with adolescents including social workers, health and social care professionals, youth workers, family support workers, teachers, counsellors, mental health teams, A&E staff, police and probation officers. The approach these practitioners take in dealing with the problem has considerable influence over outcomes. It succinctly covers a wealth of information on key matters such as counselling, treatment options, motives for substance abuse, sexual and mental health, policy development, ethical and legal considerations, and the important role of the family. Adolescents and Substance Use provides a user-friendly foundation for effective, evidence-based practice.